Love's War
by RedLikeRoses13
Summary: *Takes place after The One by Kiera Cass* After America and Maxon are happily married, there hasn't been a rebel attack in two months. But when rebels threaten to take over the palace, they must keep the country and their relationship together. Can they control Illéa and love each other too? Or will both fall into chaos?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey (anyone who reads this) the fanfiction will be told in America's POV. It takes place after the Selection. Apparently, a month after their marriage, the country falls into chaos. I may add my version of the beginning of the fanfiction in here...but we'll see what it turns out to be.**

 **Chapter 1:**

I laugh as Marlee, dressed in fiery red, tells me a joke. It is Halloween, this brings back many memories from the Selection. I can almost see Celeste dancing gracefully across the floor in her gorgeous peacock dress. Thinking about her makes me sad that she isn't here. Knowing her, she would probably charm every advisor here. My own dress has dark blue and black feather designed fabric. Mary and Lucy worked hard to find out the design. A diagonal pattern of thin gold feathers cross over the dress.

My family is here, even Gerad came in a green hunter's costume. May is wearing a white ball gown with a light pink that Mary made for her. She has a crown on her head and looks like a princess. Mom is wearing an elegant yellow dress that looks like a marigold. I wish Dad was here. He would've loved the party. I am interrupted from my thoughts as a hand pulls me into strong arms. "Hello, dear." He says into my hair.

"Maxon, I know we are married, but do not call me dear," I scold. He laughs gently and begins slow dancing across the floor. I try to follow the rhythm of his feet, but end up tripping over myself. Twice Maxon had to catch me so I didn't end up on the floor. The music becomes more festive and the dancing is more wild. I do my best to try not to mess up but end up laughing as I dance with Marlee. Loud bangs come from the music and I smile. This is a new style; I've never heard it. More bangs come, followed by screams.

I turn around quickly to see rebels pouring through the doors. They leap over tables and aim at officials and advisors. A rebel looks around before finding me paralyzed by the scene. He aims his gun and is about to shoot before Aspen knocks him over. "America!" Maxon yells and he takes my arm. "We have to go to the safe room!" I shake my head. "My family!" I reply. He tries to stop me as I dive in the crowd and find May, Marlee, a scared Gerad, and Mom. "Follow me!" I shout, and they obey. Maxon pushes the doors open and we sprint through the hall.

"Keep your heads down!" Aspen commands. He fires a gun behind us. Two unarmed rebels run to us and Aspen is cut off with my family and Marlee. The rebel comes to hit me but Maxon blocks him with his arm. The other rebel prepares to hit me but I lash out and kick him on the side of his leg. He grunts and falls back; my heel must of hit him hard. The rebel attacking Maxon brings out a knife. He swipes at Maxon's side, and I attempt to kick him away. The knife draws blood and Maxon gasps, clutching the wound. Angry, I punch the rebel in the stomach and help Maxon up. We run to the safe room but I am still worried for my family.

A guard next to the safe room opens the door and we step inside. "Be careful, Your Highness and Your Majesty."

"We will, Officer Tallen." Maxon says as the door closes with a thud.

"Oh my god," I say and help him lay down. In the corner there is a first aid kit. I open it, unsure what I was looking for until I found a roll of bandages. When Gerad was young, he fell and scraped his knee. It was bloody and he was crying, but Mom cleaned it up with alcohol and a bandage. "Lift your shirt up," I command. He carefully does, gritting his teeth in pain. I did the same for Maxon, and he winces once I wipe the disinfectant. I bandage it up and he sighs. A gunshot echoes through the hall and he pulls me to him.

"Maxon," I whisper. I flinch as I hear another gunshot echo down the hall. He pulls me closer into his arms.

"Yes, Ames?" He murmurs.

"I'm scared," I curl up tighter as footsteps run from the safe room. I can hear rebels shouting and guards yelling.

"Everything's going to be okay," Maxon says and lightly strokes my hair.

"What about my family? And Marlee?" I say and rub the dress material. I just realize that this safe room was from the Selection. Immediately I regret thinking about the Selection. I think about Celeste again, and the horrifying battle. Quietly I pray that it wouldn't happen again. My family is fine, I reassure myself. Aspen, Lucy, Marlee, and Carter are all fine in a different safe room. The room isn't entirely soundproof, but it muffles the chaos.

"Ames," Maxon says after a while. "Why did you attack that rebel?"  
"What?" I ask. I was falling asleep but this jolts me awake.

"You got so violent all of the sudden."  
I shake my head. "It's not being violent, Maxon. I'm just tired of sitting around and being the damsel in distress. Sometimes I want to fight too."

He's quiet as he considers this. "I just want you to be safe, okay?"  
"Okay." I reply.

"You should get some sleep," he says.

"But you're the one who's hurt. You should sleep." I insist.

"No," Maxon says. "You already helped me. Let me help you."

Hesitantly, I snuggle up next to him and close my eyes. One last time I pray that everyone will be safe. That the rebels will be forced to surrender and we make sure this doesn't happen again. It has been at least two months since a rebel attack and we were growing hopeful that we scared them away. Clearing my head, I fall into a deep sleep.

When I wake up, the safe room is empty. Maxon is gone, and I try opening the safe room's door. It's still locked. I look around, confused. "Maxon?" I call out. I bang on the safe door. "Maxon!" Quickly I search the room for any hint or note left by him. There is nothing but a small pistol, which I pick up and point at the door as I hear knocks. The door swings open, and I expect to see Maxon or a guard. Instead, a rebel group of four people led by a grinning leader stand in my way. I prepare to fire. "I'm sorry, Miss Schreave." Their leader smiles. "I don't think you want to shoot."

He steps away and my hand tightens on the gun. Behind him, two rebels hold an unconscious Maxon by his shoulders. I lower the gun. It is for Maxon's life; it is worth it. Dropping the weapon, I kneel to the floor in quick defeat. The leader laughs and waves his hand at one of the two rebels. He brings out his gun and shoots, straight into Maxon's head. I scream, and fire my gun rapidly. _They killed Maxon._ Bullets fly everywhere and the scene dissolves into another scream that isn't mine. "Ames! Ames, wake up!" Maxon shakes me, worry written all over his face.

"Maxon? What-I thought you were-"

"It was a dream, sweetheart," Maxon says. "Just a dream."

I breathe a sigh of relief but I'm still troubled by it. What if that happens? What should I do? "Maxon," I whisper. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"  
He smiles. "You did a good job, Doctor America."

I laugh halfheartedly at his joke. "Is the attack over?"

He nods. "I believe the guards will be opening the door soon. The gunshots and fighting stopped and Officer Leger said that he would be back."

I know he can still see that this news is only mildly calming for me. "What was the dream about, Ames?" He asks gently.

My hands shake a little as I describe the short nightmare to him. His face shows many different emotions, but I don't know which one he feels. He was angry when I told him about the cocky, smiling rebel leader. He was concerned when I was by myself. And he covers his emotion for when I try to save him. "America." He says quietly and he squeezes my hand. "I can tell you right now that this will never, ever happen. You will never be put under that situation. I will not allow it. When I married you, that was part of my promise."  
I smile a little at his protectiveness. "Thanks, Maxon."

We sit in silence until we hear knocks on the door. I wince because it sounds like the rebels. Maxon notices it and whispers, "it's okay. Don't worry, I'm here." The door swings open and Aspen's serious face appears. "Your Majesties," he says as he bows. "The rebels are gone and we lost five guards. We believe that-"

"Officer Leger," Maxon interrupts. "Please escort Queen America to her room. We will talk about the results of the attack once she calms down."  
"No, Maxon," I insist. "I have to help you. It's the Report and the people deserve to see that everything will be fine."  
"But America-"  
"No." I say, crossing my arms. I should be there for him.

He sighs, fixing his tie and attempting to straighten his wrinkled suit. "Fine."

Maxon is taken to the infirmary by a couple of guards. Aspen still takes me upstairs to my room. When I open the door, I rush into Mary's arms. She hugs me tightly as Aspen kisses Lucy. "Are you okay?" he asks, pulling a stray strand of hair from her face. "Yes," she smiles. "Everyone is safe."

"Is Lady Marlee fine? And my family?" I ask her.

She nods, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "They all made it to a safe room just in time."

"Where are they now?"

"Resting, my Queen. They plan to leave tomorrow." Mary says.

My face fell. "Thank you, ladies. I would like to be alone tonight."

"Of course, my Queen." Lucy smiles reassuringly at me. "We picked a dress for the Report. It is on your bed."

I thank them again and slip inside. Everything is the same as it usually is. A gorgeous and elegant dress lies on top of my bed. Luckily, because I slept, I am wide awake. I walk to the bathroom and check my reflection. My hair is tangled from my fight with the rebels. The beautiful raven dress was smudged with dirt and Maxon's blood. I undress and take a quick shower. The water is pleasantly warm on my skin and I enjoy it. When I come out, I take the new dress my maids left me.

It is a deep red dress; the color reminds me of my dress from the Selection. The top is sleeveless and has a sweetheart neckline. The waist is covered by a white ribbon, and the skirt falls gracefully down to the floor. I smile to myself as I put it on. My maids have incredible taste when it came to dresses. I decide to go without jewlery, but I add a little makeup. As I zip up the back of my dress, I hear a knock at the door. Checking my reflection one more time, I open the door.

"Pardon me, my Queen," Lucy says, bowing. "The Report begins soon."  
"Thank you, Lucy," I smile.

The Report is busy as always. Lights flash and there are cameramen yelling at each other. Gavril has a couple of stylists fixing his hair and suit. A couple of tailors check my dress for any blemishes. Hair stylists apologize as they twist my hair into a tight bun. Through all of the commotion, I can only think of Maxon. "Excuse me," I say to a maid. "Do you know where the King is?"  
She nods. "His Majesty is a little hurt, and the doctor will require him to return to the infirmary after the Report, my Queen. He is sitting over there, my Queen."  
"Thank you," I say.

"The pleasure is all mine, my Queen." The maid bows and rushes off to a cameraman, handing him a fabric. He cleans the lens of his camera.

I walk over to Maxon. A doctor hurriedly checks his bandages before leaving. Maxon catches my eye and smiles. "You look beautiful, my dear."

I scowl playfully at him. "Remember what I told you, Maxon. Please, don't call me your dear. How are you feeling?"  
"Fine, actually," he says, unconsciously raising his hand to touch the bandages. "The doctor did a good job."

"Did he do a better job than I did?" I tease.

Maxon's face becomes serious. "In my opinion, you did it the best."  
I laugh, and the cameraman begins shouting. "Now! Three!"

I rush to my seat. "Two!"

I put on the best smile I can. "One!"

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Illéa!" Gavril smiles. "Today we welcome you with good news. The royal family has made it through the attack. Your Majesty, how were the rebels?"  
"They couldn't beat our forces, Gavril," Maxon reassures the crowd. "The rebels came with an unorganized attack and we were able to stop them. Currently there are ten rebels, including their leader, for questioning."

"Well done, Your Majesty," Gavril compliments him.

"Without our guards, I believe we wouldn't have been this successful," Maxon says. "They…"

I've heard this news before. Gavril would ask about an attack, then Maxon would make sure no one was panicked. Then, they would begin to talk about recent rebel activity and how the guards were on them. The camera lights shine brightly on my face and I can feel its intense heat. I focus on the camera lens, smiling like there was nothing wrong with the world. "Now, Your Highness," Gavril begins. I snap out of my daze and grin at him. "Some guards reported that you attacked the rebels. What do you think about this?"

I am caught off guard by his question and I hesitate. "Well," I begin. "The guards couldn't shoot or break up the fray without hurting one of us. I only protected myself and Maxon. The guards were able to take the rebels away after we managed to escape."

I can tell by the way Gavril smiles that he approves of what I said. "Thank you, Your Highness." He ends the Report and the camera lights turn off. Once Garil signals that they aren't recording anymore, Maxon hugs me. "You did well, my darling," he whispers.

"Thanks," I whisper back. "Do you have any other meetings?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he says with a sad tone.

"Hopefully it won't be to stressful. The rebel attack was a success because our guards are only injured and we have most of the rebels," I say, trying to be optimistic.

"Ames?" he pulls out of the hug to face me.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I have something to tell you…" he says cautiously.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Readers! I hope you liked my previous chapter. I decided to continue going on with it. Please review so I have some idea of what you guys (and girls) want for the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 2:**

"Continue," I say impatiently.

"It's not good news." He begins. "The rebels were furious that we could stop them and a guard training camp was attacked."

I open my mouth in surprise. "Are they okay?"  
Maxon sighs. "It wasn't the rebels who hurt them, Ames. About a quarter of the camp were traitors, and they broke out as soon as the rebels came. So this means-"

"That they already have some of our training," I say quickly, my mind racing. "They already know most of our tactics and they can use it against us."

He smiles half-heartedly. "Good thing I married a smart girl," he says.

"King Maxon!" an advisor calls. "Apologies for the interruption, but the meeting starts soon." Maxon sighs and he gets up.

"See you at dinner, my darling," he kisses my forehead and leaves.

"Amesy!" I turn, and grin as Gerad comes rushing forward into my arms. I hug him tightly, and say, "Gerad, are you okay?"

"Yes," he says enthusiastically.

Mary runs forward and hugs me as well, smiling. "I'm glad you're fine," she says. Then, she drops her voice to a whisper. "Is Maxon okay?"  
I nod. "America," Mom says. "I'm sorry that we have to leave tomorrow."

"It's okay, Mom," I reply. "When do you think you'll be back?"

Mom shakes her head. "I don't know. I think it's safer if we stay at home."

"Okay, I understand," I say. "I'll send some guards to help protect you."

Mom is overly grateful for this, but I assure her that it's nothing. Anything for the three of them.

"Queen America, please come! Hurry!" an emotional voice calls. I search the room and then I find a maid, jumping up and down. I quickly walk over to her, wondering if she's happy or worried. When I get close enough, her eyes are brimming with tears. She leads me down the hallway, then downstairs. We pass numerous doors to rooms I don't recognize.

"Where are we going, miss? What's going on?" I ask urgently. The maid doesn't say anything but begins to jog faster.

I realize that we are heading to the sewing room for the maids. Confused, I continue following her without asking any questions. The maid ushers me in and then closes the door. The sewing room has multiple tables that are covered in fabric and thread. There is a bed on the far corner of the room that has a maid standing next to it. I carefully step over the mess and begin walking over to the bed.

When I walk closer, I see a strong figure lying on the bed. Dark, familiar hair peeks out of the shuddering maid and I gasp. Aspen! In a flash, I rush forward to his side. The maid next to me slows me down and I look at her and recognize his face. It's Lucy, more worried than I have ever seen her before. And another thing...she's crying. "What happened?" I ask softly.

"He's dying," she says slowly.

"What?" I say, shocked.

"Aspen's dying," Lucy whispers, her face crumpling. "He's sick...and a rebel shot him."

I don't know what to say. I'm completely stunned. Aspen was completely fine the last time I saw him. But then again, that was before the rebel attack. He's sleeping, but his face is contorted in pain.

"Have the doctors seen him yet?"

"Yes, but they couldn't do anything," Lucy says, her voice trembling. "Oh, my lady…"  
I quickly hug her. "Lucy, it's okay to call me America. It's going to be alright, Lucy. He'll get better, and I'll do everything to make sure he lives."  
"My lady, it's too late," Lucy says despairingly. She's helpless. She can't stop any of this.

After considering how to help her, I make up my mind. "I relieve you of your maid duties," I say, my heart breaking.

"But America-" she catches herself. "My lady, you don't need to do this."  
"Protect your husband, Lucy," I command firmly. "This is when he needs you the most."

"Thank you, America," Lucy says gratefully.

"I'll call over some doctors," I begin walking back to the door. As I open it, I look back. "And Lucy?"

"Yes, my lady?"  
"I'm sure he loves you," I smile, and close the door. I try my best to walk as quickly as I can to the infirmary. I will hold in my pain. I will hold it in. Importantly, I stride down the hall and turn. The infirmary has a couple of guards in it, groaning as the nurses apply medicine. Fortunately, no one else is hurt. As I walk in, I see them straighten. The guards sit up from their beds, surprised by my visit. The nurses turn to me and drop in low bows. "Your Highness," one nurse says, sounding nervous.

"Please, continue with your work. I only came here to talk with a couple of doctors." I say gently. They rise and then begin working again. The nurse runs off to fetch the doctors. "I hope all of you are feeling better." I address the guards, who weakly smile. A few moments later, the white-clothed women come forward.

"My Queen, you called?" One of them says politely.

"Yes, Doctor…?"

"Doctor Singh."  
"Ah yes, Doctor Singh. Officer Leger is ill," I say, hoping my voice doesn't crack. "I want two of you to supervise him. Miss Lucy will watch him as well. They are both in the maid's sewing room."  
"Of course, my Queen," Doctor Singh nods enthusiastically. "We will do everything we can to help him."

After gathering machinery and supplies, Doctor Singh and another doctor rush down the hall to the sewing room. I follow them, but instead turn to my room. My eyes are brimming with tears and my throat aches from holding all the sobs in. The door gets closer and closer until I slam it open and rush inside. Closing the door behind me, I sink to the ground with my back to the door. Tears spill over my eyes. I thought everyone was safe.

I try to be optimistic, but it's hard to convince myself. Lucy never told me how bad his sickness was. But that could mean it was so bad she didn't want to tell me. Maybe the bullet only grazed his side. Or he could be bleeding to death right now. He will be better. Or he will be worse.

I walk to the bathroom and find that I look like a complete mess. My eyes are red and my nose is pink. Luckily, Mary comes to me and sees me.

"Oh my lady," Mary cries. "Please, let me help you."

She cleans up my face faster than the makeup artists. Her delicate fingers fix my hair, then she erases the evidence of my tears. As she works, I think about what is happening. The rebels have attacked and they attacked fiercely. We were lucky that only five guards were lost. Some of our trained guards may come and storm down the palace. Some might even be traitors in our midst.

"Thank you, Mary," I say. "You're a lifesaver."  
"Anything for you, my lady," Mary curtsies low, then leaves the room.

I search the room for a distraction. I'm too worried to sleep, and my mind is too busy to read. My eyes find the piano, and I try to think about the last time I played an instrument. I pull some classical pieces off the shelf and sit down. I begin to play, pouring my sadness into the music. I'm so focused on the music, I don't hear Maxon come in.

As I finish the piece, I feel much better. "Every time you do that, I'm always amazed," Maxon says, startling me.

"I just had to get all of my feelings out."  
I stand up and Maxon leads me to the bed. As we lie down, I curl up next to him.

"Ames, you seem more stressed than usual," Maxon murmurs.

I look up at him. "I guess I am. Aspen is sick, and he was shot."

Maxon looks at me sympathetically. "He'll make it through. He's a strong guy."

I hug him tighter. "I don't know."

We lay in silence, enjoying each other's company. My mind is still racing at all the negative things that have happened.

"America," Maxon says.

"Yes?"

"Eyes on me," Maxon says. "I know something that will make you feel better."

"What?" I ask, confused.

He pulls me in and kisses me. I am surprised at first, but then I fall into his kiss. His lips are tender and full of passion. He wraps his arms around me and I close my eyes. I dig my fingers into his hair, and he squeezes my shoulder. He's right. This does make me feel a lot better.

 **So hopefully you liked this chapter. I know it is a bit short but I thought this was a good place to end it. Please continue commenting and reviewing. Do you think Aspen will live or do you think that he will die? Thank you for reading, it means a lot to me. Until we meet we meet again, my dear…**

 **-DystopianForeverGirl**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry that the previous chapter was so short. I hope you are enjoying this fan fiction so far. I love writing it and I hope you love reading it. Next week I am going out of town and I won't be able to upload that week. I will try to get a new chapter as soon as I can.**

 **-DystopianForeverGirl**

 **Chapter 3:**

It's only been a few days from the Report. The people are panicked, and somehow the news of Maxon being hurt has leaked out to the country. Everyone is questioning our defense system and they fear the rebels. I'm sitting at my office reading the worried letters from the leaders of the states. My eyes droop a little and I sigh. It's almost eleven p.m. now. I began working at eight a.m.

I'm worried about the state of Illéa. We expected the caste removal program to be a happy relief for the country, but some of the higher castes don't like it. Maxon's busy with calls and meetings every day from wealthy families who are angry about it. We've only removed the Eighth caste so far, but even the Twos and Threes are becoming anxious. I postpone the program even though we were planning to remove the Seventh caste right after Halloween.

"Excuse me, Queen America," a soft voice breaks my thoughts.

I look up from my work and smile tiredly. "Hello, Lady Marlee."

She pulls up a chair and sits in front of the desk, her eyes looking at the papers strewn in front of me. "We need to talk. Now."

"I'm too busy," I say. "People are scared from the rebels and they want us to send out more guards. Then there are other people who are scared that the guards are rebels."

She shakes her head. "You've gotten yourself into quite a mess, haven't you? Come with me, I need to show you something."

"Marlee, I would come if I could. But I have to answer these letters before tomorrow."

"It's about Aspen." Her voice is serious and somber.

At this my eyes lift from my work and meet hers. Aspen? "Lead the way."

I rise from my chair and follow Marlee, who is walking quickly. The weariness fades from me and I feel anxious and scared. What if he's not...I shake my head a little. Aspen will be fine. He's strong enough.

I try to distract my thoughts by looking at the palace in detail, which is something I do rarely. The hallways are lit dimly with lights that give off a warm orange glow. Outside, it is raining a little, and the rain spatters against the glass window panes. I never noticed how big the palace actually was. We pass maids, who bow before rushing off somewhere. As we walk through the many hallways and staircases, I wonder what she meant about Aspen. We pass the sewing room and turn to the infirmary.

The infirmary looks a lot different in the night. Large, dark, curtains are drawn over the windows. The usual blinding white lights have dimmed. The amount of guards had decreased from the last time that I was here. But the main change is the amount of doctors and nurses crowding over a single, solitary bed. My heart squeezes. Please. Please. Please.

I notice that Doctor Singh is hurriedly checking the machinery. "Doctor, how is he? What's going on?"

She shakes her head. "So far the bullet wound isn't looking so good. It's infected and it's giving him blood poisoning. We have to keep him on a machine so he can breathe regularly. The rebel must've knocked the wind out of him before shooting." she explains. "There is a possibility he might live."

I clench my jaw, hoping that she can't see, and try to blink the tears out of my eyes. "How?"

"There is always one way he could recover, which is fighting it off himself. Another way is that-"

The infirmary's doors open, and Doctor Singh turns to them. She gasps, and then drops into a low curtsy, which is impressive considering the clipboard and pens in her hands. I look to who she's bowing to and I breathe a sigh of relief. Maxon walks at a brisk pace towards me, tells Doctor Singh to rise and continue, and pulls me into a tight hug from behind. I close my eyes and hold onto his arm as his rhythmic breathing fills my ears.

Someone is quietly crying, and I raise my head. Lucy wipes her tears away once she catches my eyes, and curtsies at Maxon. He walks over to her and gives her a warm and quick hug. He murmurs something before returning to me. We stand in silence as we watch the busy nurses and doctors check his machinery and give him medicine.

Before I realize it, the small clock in the infirmary strikes twelve. I feel especially dreary now. Crying with Lucy has emotionally exhausted me. Even though I would usually keep a strong face around her, to show her that I could protect her, this was an exception. We both know he isn't gone yet, that there may be still hope, but we're scared that it is false hope. After talking to Doctor Singh for a couple more minutes, Maxon leads me out holding my hand.

"Maxon?" I ask him, and he turns his head to me.

"Yes, my dear?" He replies.

"I know that you had an okay relationship with Aspen, but what did you think about him?"

Maxon sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. "To tell you the truth, Ames, I was always afraid of this question. What if I offended you? What if something I said made you feel angry at me?"  
I laughed a little at his comment. "Maxon, I really want the truth, though." 

"Alright." He turns into his room and leads me to his small balcony. We stand looking out into the night sky as he begins. "When I first saw Aspen, back when he was a guard instead of a general, he was good at his position. The guards got along with him, he was careful, and he always seemed to protect you. Now...that scene-" Maxon takes a sharp breath. "When you...you know. When you were with him, and when I was walking by, I didn't know what to think. I thought that he was close to you, but it was horrible. I felt betrayed." 

It hurts to hear him say that, but I know I would've done the same thing if I found myself in that situation. "But everything changed after that. We are...let's say, friends now. I forgave him, because it was a misunderstanding. But he is an honorable man and a brave one, too."  
"I'm glad you think that way," I whisper, not wanting to break the delicate moment.

"And I'm glad you're fine with the truth," he replies.

I smile and open my mouth to speak but the doors blast open.

"Your Majesties!" a guard shouts. Immediately, as if on cue, the rebel alarm screeches through the halls. "Hurry!"  
We run forward, and a gunshot sounds. I scream at the sound, and the guard lying motionless on the floor. His face is turned up to the ceiling, his eyes wide open with shock. Blood stains his clothes near his chest. "America!" Maxon grabs me. "Are you alright? Did it hit you?"

"I'm fine!" I say. The rebel that shot him looks up to our voices. He rushes to us like a streak of black and heads for me.

I prepare to defend myself and Maxon, who tries to pull me away before the rebel comes to us. "Let go!" I command. "We'll never outrun him. We have to fight!" As the rebel gets close enough to hit me, Maxon jumps in front, but I push him away before he would get hurt. The rebel leaps at me, like a cat on a mouse, but I dodge and roundhouse kick him from the side. He grunts in pain but continues barreling at me. He swipes a hand at me, and I catch his wrist. He looks at me angrily as I punch him under the jaw.

The light leaves the rebel's eyes and he falls to the white balcony floor, unconscious. Maxon's eyes are wide with surprise and he stares at the rebel. "Come on, Maxon! Wake up!" I shake him. He blinks out of his daze and we dash for the door. When we open it, we are immediately surrounded in a circle of rebels. They have even more rebels stationed near the entrances to the hall, so no guards could get in. Maxon and I are back-to-back, preparing to fight. "Forever until the end?" He asks me quietly.

"Always." I say back.

 _Breathe, America,_ I tell myself. _You can do this. You can do this._ A rebel snarls, and jumps on Maxon. He goes on the defensive and blocks each punch the rebel pulls. Luckily, they're not armed with guns, though a few of them have daggers. Most of them carry ropes, which makes my blood run cold. They're here to kidnap, not to kill us.

Maxon slams the rebel's back to the ground and the entire pack swarms on us. It is a confusing tangle of limbs and screams. I block anything that comes close to me and try to hit them before they reach back into the fight. The blows become a pattern, a punch received by a nails a sharp rake of nails on skin, a kick caught by the ankle and thrown back. I can feel Maxon's strong back against mine, which reassures me. As long as he's standing, he's alive. The rebels begin to fall, but there's still too many. We're outnumbered by too much.

I can't feel his back anymore. I whirl around, seeing him pulled into the mass of black, and lunge forward. "Maxon!" I cry, reaching for his hand but a rebels dig their fingers into my arm and pull me back. "Don't! Don't, America! Run!" He screams as he the rebels head for the balcony.

I break free of the rebels grip, biting and kicking like a feral animal. I knock the breath out of one, and jump on another one, knocking my fist onto his neck. I run to the balcony, scared and full of adrenaline from the battle. The rebels have Maxon, whose head hangs forward. They must've made him unconscious. He is held captive by two rebels, and the others are sliding down a rope tied to a stone spike on the tower close to the room. "No!" I look around for any guards to help me, but I am alone.

The rebels are more focused on escaping than me. I catch their attention by attacking the ones around Maxon. I kick the first one, who was near the edge, at his stomach, and he fell back and off the rail. The second one is prepared, and he's raised his fists up. Useless, really, when he left his legs unguarded. I kick his chest and punch the side of his head, knocking him out.

I catch Maxon as he falls without the support of the rebels. By now the rebels are scurrying back up the rope, gathering more reinforcements to take him. He's still dazed, and bleeding on the side of his head. Two guards find us in the room, and run forward. "Your Majesties!" They call.

"Go!" I say. "Take him and leave."  
"But Queen America-"  
"No." I said firmly.

The guard reluctantly but carefully slung Maxon across one of his shoulders. The rebels scuttle up, angry like bees. They grab me by my bare arms. The guard carrying Maxon is attacked, but the other guard protects them. He falls to a huge rebel with red hair that runs after the retreating guard. I try to pull out of the claws pulling me towards the edge. I twist my arms away, wincing as nails scrape my skin, and run after the rebel.

I dash down the hall, searching for him. Left or right? I choose left, and I see him. He's cornered the guard and is preparing to attack. Quickly, I gather a fistful of the back of his shirt and yank him away. He falls to the floor with a grunt, but is quickly on his feet again. "Run!" I say to the guard. "Keep him safe." The guard runs and the rebel lunges forward, but I kick his chest. He coughs, the wind knocked out of him, and I take this advantage. I swerve behind him and lash out with a kick to his back. He falls over, a knife falling out of his hand.

I hesitate. Do I kill him? I can't. But I have to. It's him or me. I pick up the knife but I drop it to the floor almost immediately. It clatters to the floor as I feel an arm around my neck. Gasping, I claw at the arm and the lack of air makes spots in my vision. The rebel cleverly made sure I wouldn't be able to bite or hit him. I can hear his fist moving for my head, and I squeeze my eyes shut before everything becomes black.


End file.
